Examining female reproductive behavior in the face of allied sexual coercion in Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. Bottlenose dolphins have a complex, promiscuous, and coercive mating system characterized by high rates of male aggression. Her dissertation will examine the costs of reproduction to females in this system, as well as the behavioral strategies used to mitigate these costs, such as female cooperation, and female mate choice.

Examining the reproductive senescence--the decline in reproductive output with age--in bottlenose dolphins in order to understand why some species have evolved menopause, while most others continue to reproduce throughout life; and how social and behavioral dynamics change in light of a reduced reproductive value.

How to better characterize neuronal/glial interactions that are responsible for maintaining brain homeostasis, with a particular focus in matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and how glia can release these enzymes, which in turn can cleave GPCRs and other molecular targets to impact neuronal structure and plasticity.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) provides three-year graduate research fellowships in science, mathematics, and engineering, including Women in Engineering and Computer and Information Science awards. Fellowships are awarded for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees in the mathematical, physical, biological, behavioral and social sciences; engineering; the history of science and the philosophy of science; and for research-based Ph.D. degrees in science education. The NSF highly encourages minority students to apply. Fellowships are intended for individuals in the early stages of their graduate study at any appropriate, accredited, non-profit U.S. institution or appropriate international institution of higher education offering advanced degrees in science, mathematics, or engineering is considered eligible.

AWARD

Three (3) years of stipend, currently $34,000 per year, disbursed over a five-year period while student is on "active" tenure.

$12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the home institution per year of "active" tenure.

Opportunities for international research through GROW and federal internships through GRIP

Fellowships cannot be held or combined concurrently with other federal or government-funded fellowships (e.g., Boren, Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, SMART, etc.)

ELIGIBILITY

U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents

Undergraduate seniors and bachelor's degree holders may apply before enrolling in a degree-granting graduate program.

Joint baccalaureate/master's degree candidates applying in the 2019 competition (Fall 2018 deadline) will have one more opportunity to apply as first-year doctoral students in the 2020 competition (Fall 2019 deadline). *Effective with the 2020 competition (Fall 2019 deadline), individuals pursuing a master's degree simultaneously with the bachelor's degree (joint bachelor's-master's degree) will be limited to one application to GRFP; they will not be eligible to apply again as a doctoral degree student.

Individuals holding joint bachelor's-master's degrees who have not previously applied as graduate students may apply as first-year doctoral students in the 2019 competition.

Graduate students enrolled in a degree-granting graduate program are limited to only one application to the GRFP, submitted in the first year or at the beginning of the second year of their degree program.

There is a limited opportunity for returning graduate students to apply for a graduate research fellowship. Individuals who have (i) completed more than one academic year in a degree-granting program, (ii) earned a previous master's degree of any kind (including bachelor's-master's degree), or (iii) earned a professional degree (e.g., law, medicine) are eligible only if: 1) they have had a continuous interruption in graduate study of at least two consecutive years immediately prior to the application deadline; and 2) are not enrolled in a degree-granting graduate program at the application deadline. ​​

Applications withdrawn by November 15 of the application year do not count toward the one-time graduate application limit. Applications withdrawn after November 15 count toward this one-time limit.

Applications not reviewed by NSF (returned without review) do not count toward the one-time graduate application limit

Letters of reference are due via Fastlane no later than 5:00 p.m. (ET) on November 1.

Information Session

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will offer an information session on Wednesday, September 12at 2:00 p.m. in McShain Lounge-Large in McCarthy Hall, located in the Southwest side of campus. The information session will feature a presentation by William J. Hahn, a former GRFP program officer at the NSF and affiliated faculty in the Science and Technology in International Affairs (STIA) program at Georgetown. Dr. Hahn will provide a comprehensive overview of the GRFP that will emphasize the eligibility criteria and provide guidance on how to competitively frame the statements to meet the agency’s funding priorities. Following Dr. Hahn's presentation and Q&A, a panel of current fellows will provide their firsthand experience with the application, as well as respond to questions from the audience. A copy of the Powerpoint presentation will be posted shortly after the event.

Special Sessions: Open-Writing with Individual Assistance from Writing Center Tutors

Open from 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, the Writing Center (217A Lauinger) offers appointments with tutors who are grant-writing specialists (designated in the tutor's bio which pops up when you schedule an appointment); you can also sign up for any other open slot, since all tutors should be prepared to help with both your personal statement and your research statement. Follow the below link to setup an account and schedule an appointment: http://writingcenter.georgetown.edu/